Meteorological parameters and hospital-acquired falls—A multicenter retrospective study based on 10 years of adverse events reporting system data

Abstract

Objective and RationaleHospital-acquired falls are common and serious adverse events in medical institutions, with high incidence and injury rates. Studying the occurrence patterns of hospital-acquired falls is important for preventing falls in hospitalized patients. However, the effect of meteorological factors on hospital-acquired falls has not been elucidated. Therefore, this study explored the impact of meteorological parameters on hospital-acquired falls in Chongqing, China, and provided new ideas for the clinical prevention of falls in patients. MethodsCorrelation analysis and distributed lag nonlinear models were employed to analyze the relationship between 3,890 cases of hospital-acquired falls and meteorological data in 13 hospitals in 11 districts and counties in Chongqing from January 2013 to April 2023. ResultsThe number of hospital-acquired falls demonstrated a nonlinear correlation with the daily average relative humidity and negatively correlated with sunshine duration; however, temperature, air pressure, and wind speed were not correlated. Compared to the reference humidity (87%), the immediate effects of daily average relative humidity (65–68% and 90–97%) increased the risk of hospital-acquired falls on the same day (relative risk [RR]:1.027–1.243). When the daily average relative humidity was 95–97%, lags of 0–1 d and 8–12 d had greater effects on falls (RR:1.073–1.243). The daily average relative humidities of 62–74% and 91–97% were statistically significant at cumulative relative risk (CRR)of 4, 7, 10, and 14 d with a cumulative lag (CRR: 1.111–4.277). On sex and age stratification, the lag and cumulative effects of relative humidity more significantly impacted falls in women and patients aged ≥65 years. ConclusionDaily average relative humidity had a nonlinear correlation and lag effect on hospital-acquired falls; therefore, medical institutions should pay attention to the effect of relative humidity on hospital-acquired falls in patients, especially old and female patients.